LeMarchand Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 I got a c touch screen and a smart e70 in for teachers to test and they all preferred the C touch. I was convinced that they would go for Smart because it's what they know and it it was bigger and it was cheaper. I also had a play with everything i could see at the BETT show to compare responsiveness and image quality and ended up putting in 10 C Touch 65" Leddura 4 point touch panels at £2500 each including delivery. What are your plans about the existing Smart lessons etc, or are you licensing the Smart software separately?
OxfordBlue Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 C Touch 65" Leddura 4 point touch panels Microsoft's minimum requirement for W8.1 is 5 point touch. Whilst may not be an issue today, with W10 rumoured to have a major upgrade in touch interaction, I would suggest to look at least hitting this minimum. 10 point touch on the latest panels is useful for 2 users.
gsk Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 The 10 point touch model is available for a bit more, but realistically I didn't think it was worth the extra. Smart Notebook seems to work better in single touch mode than in multi touch. We are licensing Smart 14 separately and works out to £25 per board per year I think, so £250 for the 10 we've got in so far. I'd like them to wean off of smart notebook personally, as it seems to be too much of a crutch, but that's up to them.
synaesthesia Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 Microsoft's minimum requirement for W8.1 is 5 point touch. Whilst may not be an issue today, with W10 rumoured to have a major upgrade in touch interaction, I would suggest to look at least hitting this minimum. 10 point touch on the latest panels is useful for 2 users. Not quite true - it's just certain things that won't work. The majority of those things are "the ability to use more than 5 touch points..." Windows itself, all the typically used applications and certainly the supplied interactive software will function perfectly.
paulellam Posted May 5, 2015 Author Posted May 5, 2015 Smart version 15 is free with Smartboard product and 3yrs advantage wchich is support and upgrades but 299.00 per licence for Smart 15 on non Smart products plus 20 quid advantage licence 1Yr.
snagrat Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 The 10 point touch model is available for a bit more, but realistically I didn't think it was worth the extra. Smart Notebook seems to work better in single touch mode than in multi touch. We are licensing Smart 14 separately and works out to £25 per board per year I think, so £250 for the 10 we've got in so far. I'd like them to wean off of smart notebook personally, as it seems to be too much of a crutch, but that's up to them. That price of £25 is only if you have current Smart hardware or have previously purchased Smart Notebook separately. Otherwise it will cost you £300 per non Smart device initially, and then £25 per year
snagrat Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 The VividTouch screens are good. Seem to be selling a lot of them recently. Comes with 5year warranty and 3 year Smart Notebook License.
SpaceInvader83 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 We have 7 of the 65" Genee touch screens, we aren't massively impressed with them to be honest, when they are working they are fine but we have had issues with them, touch functionality randomly stops working - not often but enough to be an annoyance, generally build quality seems a little cheap when compared with other brands. We would explore different brands if we needed to order any more.
minature_hero Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 Are there any schools in the north Kent area that have touch panel screens already installed? I'd like to come and have a look at the models that you went for. I'm in Sittingbourne but would be willing to travel. Thanks
BKGarry Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 I have a couple of mobile ones here, but I can ask around about them. @minature_hero if you PM me I will give you extra details 1
mikeprice Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 Anyone in north West area got any I could look at in a real school environment - we need to replace some projectors and this seems like a good option for the future TIA mike
Joanne Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 I'm kitted out in Burnley. We went CleverTouch. Might be a trek from Cheshire though! 1
TechMonkey Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 Are there any schools in the north Kent area that have touch panel screens already installed? I'd like to come and have a look at the models that you went for. I'm in Sittingbourne but would be willing to travel. Thanks @minature_hero We have the SMART sorts in a few rooms that you can come see. Tonbridge area if that isn't too far.
mikeprice Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks - only an hour if no traffic! - might PM you if no closer options come up
paulellam Posted May 19, 2015 Author Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) So, we had our first Smart 4065 installed in the computing hub!!! After months of demo models for nearly every brand known to man, we finally decided on the Smart 4065!! This model has all the connectivty we need and a (freeze button lol!!) and is a really nice board. As we are a embedded Smart software school it also made sense and was thei right cost point also. We chose to install in the computing hub first as all staff will get to have a play and get used to the board before we roll out to the rest of the school. The install was done very professionally and to a superb standard, all trunking for the cables was neat and care was taken. The engineers even had their own henry for cleaning up etc.!! Well done @Haptic a quality installation!! Everyone is getting on fine with the board and now appreciate how nice it is to be able to use without calibration and not being blinded by a ropey old projector every day!! The board is quick responsive, accurate and a joy to use so far!! Edited May 19, 2015 by paulellam 3
Nadnerb Posted May 19, 2015 Posted May 19, 2015 Very good to hear that. From what I can see the SMART 4065 is looking like the best option for my school (on paper). We are quite SMART embedded too. What are the response times like? I have a demo of an Alpha touch screen today, and hopefully getting a SMART reseller to lend us a 4065. I'm still working on reviews and comments before deciding what others to try.
paulellam Posted May 19, 2015 Author Posted May 19, 2015 Hi Nadnerb!! The response times are good it means you can just use the board how it should be used, the staff are really pleased and cant wait to start using it for handwriting with the children. I know smart software will work on any board but the feel and use of the board was favoured by my 'test' classrooms that had it on trial. The feedback from users on all boards we had on trial was looked at and a desicion was made from that. Its a sturdy board and feels strong, looks the part too!! Some staff have commented that it has almost made them not want to use the old style board now as it seems so poor in comparision lol Hope this helps? 1
Nadnerb Posted May 19, 2015 Posted May 19, 2015 Brilliant. One of the most helpful threads I've read. Contacted a dealer this morning who installs most of the boards mentioned here. I'll have to do my own research as to the best requirements for my school, but I feel I already have a good feel of what to be looking out for thanks to this thread. With tight budgets, schools just can't afford to make mistakes when purchasing this kind of equipment in volume. 1
PotNoodleTech Posted May 19, 2015 Posted May 19, 2015 Yeh I sent promethean an email requesting a trial of an ActivPanel as all our existing whiteboards are promethean (some of them over 8 years old) and we only use the Activinspire software No response. Perhaps other manufacturers will be... smart.. enough to engage with me...
Joanne Posted May 19, 2015 Posted May 19, 2015 I use ActivInspire with the other brands. Might be best off contacting a reseller instead of the manufacturer direct for a demo....
GuyJD Posted May 19, 2015 Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) I must say I've been really impresses with our Smart E70 interactive panels, only problem i've found is they can get quite erratic when the sensor bars around the frame get dusty but that's an issue with our cleaners rather than the boards. Edited May 19, 2015 by GuyJD typo 2
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